The cult of me

December is
always a good time to reflect on what we have achieved or not
achieved.

Economically, with growth of over 6%, a soaring capital
market and capital inflows and strong business sentiment, everything
points to a sense of optimism, albeit with a shadow of inflation in
the corner.

Politically, many
things have not progressed as expected. Parliamentarians, elite
politicians, ministers and key government officials are all too busy
with single-issue politics and seem to forget the overall picture of
where the nation is going.

The war against
corruption is stalled despite the heroic efforts of the anti-graft
body, the Corruption Eradication Commission or KPK. Likewise, only a
little progress is heard on national bureaucratic reform.

The market seems
to be oblivious to all these factors, as investors and businessmen
have already factored these rather dismal developments into their
risk pricing. Essentially, the market has discounted, rather
profoundly, the role of national leadership, as long as political
stability continues. If anything, political stability is the hallmark
achievement of the current political regime, and that is not a
trivial feat.
Interestingly,
while the role of the national leadership is suspect, elite
politicians have in the past year been busy seizing political stages,
from the Bank Century saga in Senayan to many national summits to
floods and natural disasters in many regions.

Whatever
the current emerging issue, there is always a photo opportunity for
politicians to present themselves as the concerned champion of the
affected masses…